The Ordinary Life of Elizabeth Cullen-Black
by ACleverPenName
Summary: Raised by vampires and werewolves, Elizabeth had been on the run her entire life. She led the type of life where she stayed at home all day, studied at home and talked to only her family and their friends. Things were going to take an unexpected turn towards the...ordinary. And for the first time, Elizabeth was unprepared.
1. Elizabeth Cullen- Black

"Sshhh..." A woman hissed, her voice barely audible. "You'll wake her."

"But, love..." A man replied, his tone worried. "She is having a nightmare. She wants to wake up."

"Nightmares aren't real." The woman continued. "Why are you here again anyway? I thought Bethy made it perfectly clear her room is a no vampire/werewolf zone."

"I just wanted to watch her sleep." The man replied. "She resembles my mother so much, especially when her face isn't contorted in rage."

"It will be if you guys don't leave!" Another woman added. "Jake is going to have a fit, Dad! I don't want you guys fighting again!"

"I would like to see the dog try." The man replied, baring his fangs.

"Edward!" The first woman scolded.

"Sshhh..." Edward gesticulated wildly. "Bella! You'll wake her. For a human, she has exceptionally sharp ears!"

"Nes, get Jake." Bella said, her eyes narrowing a little.

At that moment, Edward froze. Bella and Renesmee mirrored his actions.

"Damn!" Edward cursed, before the silent night was destroyed in the loud protests of a teenaged girl.

-X-X-

Elizabeth fidgeted nervously at her seat, her backpack sliding off her shoulder for the tenth time. Her family had just moved to the small town of Fosters, just outside Anchorage. The perpetually wet and cold town was special to Elizabeth for a very specific reason. She glanced at the watch again. She watched in disgust as her century old teenaged father scarfed down a fifteenth helping of pancakes. Renesmee quietly sipped coffee, a small smile on her face.

"Can we go?" Elizabeth Cullen-Black whined as she looked at the watch approaching 8.00 AM.

She didn't want to be the loser who was late for the first day of school. At least that's what Elizabeth thought constituted a loser in high school. It was a new playing field for her. She was home schooled all her life.

The Volturi had taken a special interest in popping up at random corners and attempt to kidnap her all her life. Her family had spent the last 15 years trying to protect her from the Volturi.

But a week ago, they were able to strike a deal with them. Elizabeth wasn't sure of the details of the deal but it meant that she could go to school like normal kids. Elizabeth had spent a majority of that week jumping on her bed, with her Dad over-excitedly changing forms and joining her.

"Do you think this is still in?" Elizabeth heard her Grandmother Isabella Cullen muse.

"It's been 30 years, Bella!" Alice chimed, grinning. "You have to get over your jeans and sneakers phase."

Bella looked at Alice apprehensively.

"I just don't want it to stand out too much." Bella said, biting her lower lip.

Edward and Alice looked at each other and burst into laughter. Edward put his arms lovingly around his wife.

"That's just not possible, love." He cooed as he leaned into to kiss her.

Elizabeth cleared her throat loudly.

"Impressionable minor in the room." Elizabeth announced and she glanced at the watch again.

"Donworry, chweet-ha." Jacob said, before gulping a huge bite. "You can ride on Daddy's back, just like you used to."

"Is that on the table?" Edward jumped in. "I want to take her to school. You can hop on Grandpa."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"A. I'm not a baby." Elizabeth said, as she slung her backpack on her bag. "And B. I'm not talking to you, Grandpa. You broke our promise. I think I will take the bus to school."

She strode confidently to the door but hesitated at the door.

"They know where every kid lives right?" Elizabeth asked tentatively. "I just have to step out and the bus will be there, right? Like in the movies?"

Emmettt chuckled.

"We can take the panther." Emmettt offered.

Elizabeth pondered over the offer for a moment.

"You will drop me three blocks away from school, right?" Elizabeth countered, confirming the deal from the night before.

Emmettt nodded and winked.

"Why the wink?!" Rosalie asked, shaking her head.

She bent to make eyes contact with Elizabeth.

"We remember your requests, darling." Rosalie said, her golden eyes boring into Elizabeth's melting black ones. "We wont embarrass you. We want you to make lots of friends and have lots of fun."

Rosalie scratched Elizabeth's long sharp nose. Elizabeth nodded as she tucked a stand of her copper hair behind her ears.

"Did you take the lunch Gigi packed you?" Jasper asked, standing at his usual place next to Alice.

Elizabeth nodded, her eyes now on the floor. Her curiosity to find out more about the deal was renewed. A part of her worried that her family was doing something ridiculously dangerous to give her a small piece of happiness.

"It's nothing stupid, right Gigi?" Elizabeth asked for the millionth time.

"Nothing that will part us." Esme replied, smiling kindly.

Elizabeth nodded and followed Emmett out of the house.

She strapped on her helmet and climbed Emmett's Enfield.

"Hang tight." Emmett called behind him over the rev of the engine.

Elizabeth watched as the rest of her family started getting into their cars.

"Let's go." Elizabeth murmured.

Emmett shot off, Elizabeth studying the features of her new phone. She had insisted on getting a not too new, not too old phone. So she browsed through her almost latest android phone, unafraid as Emmett broke speed limits.

"He is driving too fast!" Renesmee complained as the vampires followed them on foot in the shadows. "She isn't even properly secured! Is this how we take her around too?"

"Should we even be doing this?" Bella asked, glancing at her daughter. "Bethy is not going to be happy."

"This falls well within her scope of requests." Alice chimed. "She didn't want the kids to know that we are related. Nothing more. Besides, it's rather frustrating that I can't see her future."

Jacob grunted softly next to her. Esme and Edward were in the lead, making sure that Emmett dropped Elizabeth safely. The family stopped as Emmett turned a curb and slowed down. They watched as Elizabeth slid off the bike. She gave her great Uncle a one armed hug and tried to bodily push him out of view.

Emmett chuckled as he started the bike. Soon he joined his family in the shadows, who were all watching Elizabeth intently. They watched as Elizabeth tamed her unruly hair and dusted her clothes.

Edward and Esme joined the others, Esme beaming at the youngest member of her family.

"She is so grown up!" Esme smiled. "I'm so proud of her."

Elizabeth slowly turned towards the direction of the school, her movements sluggish. Edward looked unhappy.

"What's going on, Dad?" Renesmee asked. "Why does she seem... scared?"

Jacob appeared fully clothed, a frown similar to Edward on his face.

"Her heart rate is up." Rosalie added. "And she is sweating."

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Edward started, mouthing Elizabeth's thoughts. "Move, stupid feet! The Volturi and us have a deal. They can't hurt me."

At that thought, Elizabeth gulped, looking around nervously, her mind going back to the times the Volturi had almost killed her family trying to get to her. Elizabeth resolutely shook her head, but her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Renesmee took a step forward, wanting to comfort her daughter, but Edward held her hand.

"You're only freaking out because you've never been on your own." Edward continued. "You can't expect them to protect you forever. Move Elizabeth Agnes Cullen-Black. Get to school. Move!"

Elizabeth's shoulders slumped a little, her copper hair covering her face. She stood at the turning for the longest time, her mind replaying the darkest moments in her life. Edward flinched at every one of those memories, unaware that she was exposed to so much brutality for so long. The Volturi has kept them on their toes for so long, that they couldn't pause to consider the repercussions on Elizabeth until recently. Though Edward didn't want to believe it, his cheery and lively grand-daughter had an ocean of fear locked away in the farthest corners of her mind.

"You OK?" An unfamiliar voice rang deep near Elizabeth.

Elizabeth jumped a little, scrambling away from the voice.

"Woah!" The boy said, his hands raised in surrender. "Calm down! Are you OK? You look like you've seen death!"

Elizabeth's voice was stuck in her throat. The slight drizzle had matted the boy's blonde hair with drops that looked like diamonds. He studied Elizabeth, his stormy grey eyes, a perfect match to the sky above, confused. He took a cautious step towards Elizabeth, looking around for any signs of danger.

"Are you being followed?" He murmured, standing only a couple of inches from Elizabeth.

Elizabeth had never spoken to humans before. The words evaporated when they reached her lips. So she stood still, her mouth half open.

"Maybe I should escort you to school." The boy offered still looking around. "I'm Matt. You going to Andrews High, I assume?"

Elizabeth slowly nodded.

Edward clenched his hands.

"He thinks she is endearing!" Edward said, through clenched teeth.

Bella and Renesmee simultaneously restrained their husbands.

"We don't kill humans!" Bella grunted under the effort of restraining Edward.

Edward glared at Bella, hoping that would be enough to push her away. Bella rolled her eyes and doubled her efforts.

Matt gestured towards the school and started walking. Elizabeth mutely followed him.

"You don't have to be scared." Matt murmured, a little while later. "My Dad's the Sherrif here in Fosters. We can talk to him after school. You can tell him about your stalker."

He squeezed Elizabeth's hand a little, bringing her back to the planet.

_Wait, what?_ Elizabeth thought, a ghost of a laughter bubbling in her stomach. _Of course I have stalkers! At least ten of them._

Elizabeth started laughing at the realization, her laugh coming out in squeals of relief. Matt looked at her with his eyebrows raised. Elizabeth clutched her stomach, doubling over laughing. Edward relaxed in Bella's grip.

"He thinks she is strange now." Edward sighed in relief.

Now it was Edward's and Jacob's turn to restrain their wives.

"I will see you at school then!" Matt said, as he took a hesitant step back.

Elizabeth heard him. She wanted to stop him. But she knew she wouldn't be able to get the words out. So she just waited for him to leave, until she straightened up and cleared her throat. She shot an angry glance at all the shadows around her and took big, determined steps towards school.

-X-X-

The school was already buzzing with activity when Elizabeth got there. She clutched her schedule and hauled her bag over her shoulder, as she made her way to her locker. Though she had written it down, she kept muttering her locker combination under her breath. She jimmied her locker open and put in most of her books.

Turns out, her family was right. Nobody in high school carried so many books. She peeked at her neighbor who was decorating her locker with photos and glitter.

"Hey!" The neighbor beamed as she caught Elizabeth's eye. "I'm Bethany. Bethy for short. You new?"

Elizabeth slowly nodded.

"I'm Elizabeth." Elizabeth said in a small voice. "People call me Bethy too."

Elizabeth's subconscious was busy doing the chicken dance and did not notice Bethany's eyes narrow a little.

"No way!" Bethany chimed, shutting her locker with perfectly manicured fingers, bringing into view her three friends who were standing on the other side. "We're like sisters! Bethy and Bethy! I help the new kids adjust to Andrew's. Let me see your schedule."

Bethany snatched the schedule from Elizabeth's hand. Elizabeth hoped her face did not show how gloriously happy she was at her first human conversation. Bethany pushed back her dark hair with red streaks behind her ears, as she studied Elizabeth's schedule. Elizabeth was sure Bethany was one of the popular kids. And Bethany called Elizabeth her sister.

Her family had told her that it didn't matter which clique she fit in, as long as she made good friends. But wasn't fitting in with the popular kids the goal of every movie Elizabeth had ever seen. Granted, in the end there is always a message of fitting in with your self, blah blah blah... But Elizabeth always thought that movies showed the popular kids in an exaggerated version.

"OH MY GOD!" One of Bethany's friends squealed. "Who are they?"

Bethany glanced up and immediately dropped Elizabeth's schedule. Elizabeth sighed as she picked it up. She turned around rolling her eyes a little and joined the others in gaping at the God-like Cullens and Black who had just walked in. All the students were quiet and Edward had a small smile on his face. She hated it that no thought was private around her grandfather. They dispersed towards their lockers, as Edward came near Elizabeth.

"Hello." Edward said politely as he introduced himself, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I'm Edward Cullen. It looks like we're locker buddies."

Her grandfather was turning up the charm. Elizabeth frowned as she curtly nodded.

"Switch lockers with me." Bethany whispered into Elizabeth's ears.

"Huh?" Elizabeth said, side-tracked.

Bethany rolled her eyes as she brushed Elizabeth aside.

"Hi, Edward." She chimed, turning up the glow factor. "I'm Bethany White. You can call me Beth."

"So bright!" Elizabeth muttered as she mock shielded her eyes.

Most of the school was split into eight, admiring the new kids. But Elizabeth heard a small chuckle. She looked across the hall and saw a guy with curly brown hair grin toothily at her. He made a gag gesture towards Edward and Bethany. Elizabeth smiled as she rolled her eyes.

Edward's jaw was set in a hard line. He wanted to comfort his grand-daughter. But instead he was stuck in conversation with the boring human. He watched as Elizabeth buried her head in the schedule and was joined by a thick boy with curly brown hair and green eyes.

"The school is now a movie set." The boy muttered.

"And we're the lead extras." Elizabeth added, grinning.

The boy shook his head.

"To think, this is a place of education." The boy continued. "I'm Rory Winters, by the way. You must be the New Kid."

"Those Greek Gods are the New Kids." Elizabeth said, finding it easy to talk to Rory. "I'm Elizabeth Masen."

"Well, Elizabeth Masen." Rory said. "You were lucky that the Greek God pulled you away from the Black Witch when he did. She must have been contemplating sticking you in a locker or locking you on the roof. Personally, I prefer being locked on the roof."

Elizabeth frowned in confusion.

"You have the audacity of sharing a name with Her Bitchiness." Rory continued. "It is a punishable offense."

Elizabeth was a little put off. She wanted to tell Rory off for talking about Bethany like that. It wasn't her fault that her grandfather was supposedly delectable. If only Bethany truly understood why she found her grandfather attractive, Rory and Elizabeth wouldn't be having this conversation.

"I think I will reserve my judgement about Bethany for now." Elizabeth countered sourly, loyalty bubbling in her.

Rory shrugged.

"We're here." Rory said, stopping outside biology.

Rory entered first and joined his friends. Elizabeth stalled at the entrance for a moment longer, not wanting to be the only new kid in class. She took a deep breath as she entered.

She controlled herself from glaring as she saw the only available place was next to Edward Cullen. Edward looked at Elizabeth with twitching lips.

_Are you having fun?_ Elizabeth thought angrily.

Edward looked away and for the tiniest fraction, nodded.

"Hello." A familiar voice rang near Elizabeth. "I'm Isabella Swan-Cullen. You can call me Bella."

Elizabeth nearly gagged when she realized why her grandparents were taking biology together. Edward burst out laughing. Bella frowned as she walked over to him.

Elizabeth awkwardly stood at the head of the class, trying to melt into the wall. Edward and Bella studied her religiously while the rest of the class studied them.

"Alright, class." A tall blonde teacher whose hair was tied in a bun, walked swiftly into the class.

She was followed by two janitors who were carrying an extra desk into the class. Elizabeth sighed in relief as she scampered towards the desk and settled down.

"I'm Mrs. Kiley." The blonde teacher wrote on the green chalk board. "You have home room later where the new students will be introduced. For now, I would like to draw an outline of the syllabus you would be covering this semester. Please keep up."

Elizabeth looked up eagerly, a pen clutched in her hand. Being in a class room beat studying on the couch, no contest.


	2. Macaroni Surprise

Elizabeth twirled a strand of her hair around a pencil, sitting surrounded by tall stacks of illegible writing. Her study table lay clean a couple of inches from Jacob, who was sprawled across the floor, a book on his face as his chest slowly rose and fell. Elizabeth looked at the math book again, defeated.

"Dad!" She whined, as she gently toed Jacob. "You're supposed to be helping me study!"

"Too much..." Jacob muttered slowly. "Brain hurt... Get Mom..."

"That's what I wanted to do in the first place!" Elizabeth cried, getting on her feet and pulling the book off Jacob's face.

"Need help?" Edward offered at the same instant, poking his head into Elizabeth's room.

Jacob sat up and frowned.

"It's your fault she is behind." Jacob said, sourly. "You were supposed to be tutoring her in Math. Why is she behind?"

"I taught her the prescribed syllabus." Edward countered defensively. "But the teachers assumed the students already know few things. It's rather simple. I can teach her."

"And as I clearly mentioned downstairs, I think Elizabeth's education should be looked after by her parents." Jacob said, getting to his feet. "That was made clear for Nessie's education."

"Great!" Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes. "I live with geniuses and I'm still going to fail!"

"You're not going to fail!" Jacob exclaimed. "Let me get Nes..."

"No." Elizabeth protested. "Dad, we tried it your way. No offense, but you aint..."

"Are not." Edward corrected Elizabeth immediately.

"...are not the world's best teacher. I really need to understand this for tomorrow's class. So can you just let Granpa teach me?"

Jacob glared at the grinning Edward. He shrugged and slumped on Elizabeth's bed.

Edward and Elizabeth settled around the study table. Elizabeth tied up her hair while Edward made a big show of organizing papers and adjusting his seat. Elizabeth patiently waited to start. But after Edward restacked the papers for the fourth time, Elizabeth snatched the papers from his hand. Edward had instinctively pulled his hand away to avoid Elizabeth from breaking a nail.

"It's rather distracting when Jacob keeps muttering profanities." Edward said, innocently.

Jacob shot up to his feet as Elizabeth's brows furrowed.

"Dad, leave." Elizabeth said, monotonously.

Jacob lingered for a while but decided to leave the room, stamping his foot and grumbling all the way.

"Why do you guys keep doing that?"Elizabeth muttered darkly. "Make everything a contest. I can't even get a moment of peace in this house, the way you guys are always going at each other."

"We haven't had the luxury of fun in a long time." Edward whispered, inaudible to Elizabeth.

He could feel the whole house agree with him as he started his lesson.

-X-X-

Elizabeth had tried to approach Bethany again over the course of the first week. But it seemed like they were always in close proximity to her family and she wanted to avoid them in school as much as possible. Against the dull gray sky, her family continued to look like supermodels in clothes Elizabeth was sure was at least a hundred years old.

"I love the jacket!" Elizabeth heard Bethany coo to Edward. "Is it vintage?"

The Cullens maintained a stony, unfriendly appearance but Bethany was relentless. Elizabeth felt bad for Bethany. Even though it was obvious that Edward and Bella were a thing, Bethany did not lose heart.

"Watcha doing?" Alice chimed near Elizabeth.

Having grown up with vampires, Elizabeth didn't scare easy.

"Ask Granpa to be nice, OK?" Elizabeth muttered under her breath as she made her way to the cafeteria.

Being unable to talk to Bethany had another downside. Elizabeth was so focused on befriending Bethany, that she didn't interact with many people. And everybody made their groups and Elizabeth ended up alone. She knew why Alice came to talk to her. Her family was insisting that she sit with them during lunch. They could tell that Elizabeth wasn't picking out the"most nutritious" foods in the cafeteria. Elizabeth had been fending them off but she was starting to feel lonely. She scanned the cafeteria for an empty table and quickly settled down. The sooner she ate lunch, the sooner she could get to class. Elizabeth was in the process of deciphering the contents of her lunch when she heard a small voice speak.

"Would it be OK if I take this chair?" The voice said, timidly. "I don't need the table. You're probably waiting for your friends."

Elizabeth looked up to a small, bony girl with mousy brown hair and olive skin. Her dark black eyes studied Elizabeth apprehensively, as though wondering if she crossed some line. She wore lose fitting warm clothes which hung off her shoulders and large chunky bracelets. The girl blinked rapidly as she waited for Elizabeth to reply.

But Elizabeth's voice was stuck in her throat again. She didn't know why but she found it difficult to speak with regular people. The girl loosened her grip on the chair and seemed to be about to walk away when Elizabeth quickly got to her feet.

"No!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "No... I mean... please.. I mean you can sit here if you'd like. I'll leave."

Elizabeth hastily gathered her things, the surprise in the macaroni doomed to remain so forever.

"No, no!" The girl said, waving her arms rapidly. "I just wanted the chair. Please, I will leave."

"No!" Elizabeth countered as she pushed her coat into her bag. "I will leave."

"But you barely touched your lunch!" The girl said, backing away from the table at the same pace as Elizabeth.

"Why don't you guys just sit together?" A passing Emmett commented as he moved towards the Cullens table.

Elizabeth's gaze followed Emmett as he joined the rest of her family, who seemed to have been watching the whole exchange amused. Elizabeth looked at the girl who was now studying her food. The girl took a deep breath and sat on the chair. She looked at Elizabeth, who quickly mirrored her actions and sat a little to roughly onto the opposite chair. They both nervously smiled at each other as they slowly started eating.

"Why aren't they talking?!" Edward lamented, as Bethany twirled her hair at him. "They are both having great conversations _in their heads._ How is that even possible?"

"They're shy." Bella commented.

"More like a small push away from puking all over each other." Emmett snorted. "I can smell the teen stress all the way from here."

A calm started spreading across the cafeteria.

"So many teenagers..." Jasper sighed. "So much stress..."

But Elizabeth's shoulders slowly loosened.

"I'm Marcy Gray." The mousy hair girl said, a glazed look of relaxation in her eyes. "I'm glad we're sitting together. I was scared I will be alone again."

"I was a step away from eating in the bathroom stalls!" Elizabeth added, smiling a little. "I'm Elizabeth Masen. Thank you so much for eating with me."

The girls giggled before they resumed eating in silence, each pondering over an interesting topic to bring up.

"Movies, music, clothes, books..." Rosalie muttered. "Anything, Bethy! Talk about anything"

But the girls continued eating in silence, sometimes glancing nervously at each other.

_Urgh. _Elizabeth thought. _What is in this? Should I throw this away? But what if Marcy is one of those environmentalists? The ones who worry about the food in Africa. Not that anybody in Africa would eat this even if their lives depended on it. What if she leaves offended? What if she yells at me?_

Elizabeth smiled cautiously at Marcy and continued eating, unaware that a similar string of thoughts were going through Marcy's head.

"Maybe next time we can slip in some broccoli on that plate." Rosalie murmured, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

A shiver went down Elizabeth's spine. She frowned and turned to look at her family, who seemed to be deep in conversation with each other.

"I'm guessing they are the Cullens?" Marcy said, as she followed Elizabeth's gaze.

"The hot new thing." Elizabeth said, a bit too callously.

Marcy looked at her confused.

_Shit!_ Elizabeth thought. _She is going to think I'm the judgmental type. I don't even know them in school. Why did I say that? It's because they were talking about me, I'm sure of it. But Marcy thinks I'm awful. Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!_

Repeating the mantra, Elizabeth scarfed down her lunch and a little short of ran out the cafeteria. She could feel an extra pair of eyes studying her as she made her way to Math, the studying from last night dizzyingly slipping out of her.

As always, Elizabeth was the first in class. And as always, she sat alone. Every class she attended had an odd number of students. That was because she shared classes with a girl who was sick and hadn't been able to come to school yet. Elizabeth sometimes day-dreamed of hitting it off with the unknown girl (who in her head looked like a mellow version of her Aunt Tanya from Alaska) and becoming her best friend. Since the seat next to her was the only empty seat, Elizabeth was atleast sure of being cordial with the unknown girl. Elizabeth was content. She had never been cordial with anybody before.

Elizabeth gazed across the misty lawn as the bell rang and the class started to fill out. She used to try to make eye contact with the other kids before. But either they didn't see her, which was the best case, or they caught her averting her eyes hastily, which was the worst case.

The pot bellied Math teacher with wispy dark hair, Mr. Gillian, walked into class. He roughly slammed the table with his books, calling attention to the class who settled down on their desks. He cleared his throat as he surveyed the class, making sure that his students were alert and at an arms length from each other. He frowned at the empty seat next to Elizabeth.

"Don't just stand there!" He barked at the door. "I haven't got all day!"

Elizabeth heard a tiny squeak and the mousy haired Marcy scurried into the room. She paused searching for an empty seat and almost cried in relief when she saw the place next to Elizabeth. She quickly made her way to the seat and opened her book to the page Elizabeth was on. She smiled nervously at Elizabeth, glad that she was sitting with a familiar face. Elizabeth smiled back and spent the rest of the class day dreaming about being BFFs with Marcy, Aunt Tanya's face quickly replaced.


	3. Nightmares

_Elizabeth clutched on to the short brown fur, plucking out a few strands in the process. She could feel the giant wolf panting heavily beneath her. Her mom's hand was firmly on her cheek, showing her memories of birthdays and new years. But it wasn't enough to keep the fear at bay._

_Though barely audible, Elizabeth could hear low growls and fangs crunching through ice. The air was filled with a sweet thick smoke. Every now and then, Renesmee would grasp Elizabeth tighter, as though responding to the hesitation in Jacob's step._

_Elizabeth knew that it meant Renesmee would scoop her up and escape alone while Jacob would fend off the attackers. Elizabeth clutched the soft fur as hard as she could with her little hands, unwilling to let her father do the absolute worst thing possible. She cried profusely, scared out of her mind for the rest of her family who were fighting for her unseen. She was only 7 yrs old, and yet at times she wanted to give herself up to the Volturi, who had banished the Cullens for protecting a human child._

_Things were compounded with the fact that Alice couldn't see her future. She couldn't tell if the vampire secret was safe with Elizabeth. And Aro knew that. Most of the vampire community agreed with him. But she knew her family loved her more than anything in the world. And she loved them back even more, with all her being._

_Jacob skid to a halt, Renesmee leaping off him in a smooth motion. Elizabeth screamed at the top her her lungs, as she watched her father being surrounded by pale, beautiful vampires. Renesmee only had a glance. Jacob and Renesmee were together for almost 30 years, and all they had was a glance._

_When Elizabeth was conceived, their love for each other was shared in the tiny life that grew in Renesmee . They loved Elizabeth so much that they could bear being separated, even dead, but they knew life would be meaningless without Elizabeth._

_"DAD!" Elizabeth screamed. "MOM! PLEASE! NO! DADDY! DADDY!"_

_But the great wolf was growing smaller as Renesmee concentrated on the path ahead, her senses piqued. Elizabeth continued screaming, now for everybody in her family._

_They arrived in a thick jungle, snow only in scattered patches. Elizabeth didn't know how far they had come. But she could feel her mother slowing down too. Elizabeth immediately tightened her grip._

_"Please." Elizabeth begged, weak and tired. "Don't go, Mom. Please, stay with me."_

_But Renesmee gently put her down. She stroked her daughters face, a small smile on hers._

_"You're safe here." Renesme said, her voice calm. "We're in Quileute territory. They protect humans. Mommy is going to go help the others now. I will be back soon."_

_Elizabeth shook her head in protest._

_"No." She managed to whisper. "I don't want to be without you. I don't want to be alone. Mom, please."_

_The pain in Renesmee's face was only a flash. She didn't want to scare her daughter._

_"I will be back soon." Renesmee said, sounding confident. "I promise."_

_Before Elizabeth could even get the words of protest out of her mouth, Renesmee vanished._

"MOM!" Elizabeth shot up in bed, covered in cold sweat.

Renesmee was already there, holding Elizabeth as tightly as she was holding her. Jacob hugged both them both, sharing a grim expression with Edward.

The entire Cullen clan was in Elizabeth's tiny room. There was water and chocolates in each of their hands. Carlisle even had a loaded injection.

Elizabeth frowned at them confused, quickly forgetting the fright from her nightmare.

"Wha..." Elizabeth started, looking accusingly at her grandfather.

Edward was looking at Elizabeth with sad eyes. He desperately wanted to help Elizabeth. He wanted to make the nightmares go away. He wanted Elizabeth to feel safe. He wanted Elizabeth to have a normal childhood, something he now understood was a privilege which was denied to only Elizabeth in that house.

"You were having a nightmare, sweetheart." Esme said, slowly pushing Carlisle's hand holding the injection out of sight. "You were calling us."

Elizabeth hazily recollected the dream, a memory from a not-so-long time ago. Her cheeks flushed.

"It was just a dream, you guys." Elizabeth said, slowly pushing her mom and dad away. "I know most of you don't sleep, but having nightmares is not a big deal. And it definitely isn't reason enough for everybody to panic and buy what looks like a whole stores supply of chocolates. I'm assuming you paid for those?"

Emmett grinned as he opened the bar of chocolate and shoved it under Elizabeth's nose.

"Left the exact change." He said, still threatening to push the chocolate up Elizabeth's nose.

Elizabeth took a tiny bite, just to make everybody feel better. All the shoulders in the room collectively relaxed as Elizabeth yawned. Edward side stepped when he heard Elizabeth's thought.

"Seriously." Elizabeth muttered under her breath as she made her way to the bathroom. "Cant even think of peeing in this house without them knowing. Stupid super powers."

The Cullens slowly marched out. Edward waited at the door for his wife.

"You go on." Bella said, her expression still grim.

Before Edward could ask what was on her mind, Elizabeth returned, looking tired and sleepy. Edward left without another word.

Bella sat at the head of Elizabeth's bed. She gestured to Elizabeth to sleep on her lap. Elizabeth complied.

She didn't know why, but her grandmother was the one she could relate to the most. Everybody else in her house were perfect and confident. Yet her grandmother, even though perfect, was still hesitant and strangely normal by nature. Bella gently stroked Elizabeth's hair, her cold fingers drinking the warmth of her skin. Renesmee walked in a few moments later, slowly closing the door behind her. Elizabeth yawned again.

"I'm fine, you guys." She said, a little groggy. "It was just a nightmare."

Renesmee and Bella slowly nodded at each other. Renesmee placed one palm on Elizabeth's cheek and the other on Bella. Elizabeth frowned in confusion.

Renesmee played back a conversation she had had with her mother. Elizabeth wasn't sure how long ago that was.

_"She is growing up magnificently." Bella cooed, holding Renesmee's_ _hand._

_Renesmee nodded._

_"But I worry about her all the time." Renesmee replied, glumly. "More than the normal mother worrying about a daughter. I know we can push back the Volturi and win each time. Their numbers dwindle. But I worry about the type of life we're giving her. Do you think she is happy?"_

_"Edward says she is." Bella said, hesitantly._

_"Then why does she have so many nightmares?" Renesmee countered. "I don't think Dad can access all the corners of her mind. Or maybe, he doesn't want to. I don't know why, but ever since the Volturi have gone on the defensive, I can't help but feel like I failed her as a mother. I protected her, yes. But was I able to keep her happy? Was I able to keep her safe from fear and sadness? Everyday she worries about us dying. She is so little and yet, she has never once asked us for anything other than our safety. A fragile little thing like her spending all her Christmas wishes for our safety."_

_Renesmee was weeping openly._

_"This will pass." Bella said, soothingly stroking her daughters hand. "And when that time comes, we will give her something nobody else can."_

_Bella looked for a moment at the scared rabbit that ran away from them._

_"I will give her the gift of normalcy."_

Renesmee smiled as she sat next to her mother.

"Edward doesn't like the idea." Bella said, a small smile on her face. "He can't control his powers. He can't turn it off. You must know that he loves you. And he does what he does because of that. But your mother, Jacob and I are the only ones who can even remotely understand. The others are from a different era."

Elizabeth was alert now.

"You're not leaving me, are you?" Elizabeth demanded. "Where is Dad? Where are the others? Is this what your deal was? You surrender to the Volturi. I don't care. I don't care if we have to run forever, as long as I am with you."

Angry tears streamed down her cheeks. Bella frowned for a moment. She then took out a 100 dollar bill and handed it over to Renesmee.

"That's not it, sweetheart." Renesmee said, as she pocketed the money. "Grandma wanted to make up for the life that we gave you so far. I don't know if you'd believe me, but when I had you, everybody in this house wanted nothing more than your happiness and safety. But somewhere along the line, we put more important to your safety. So much so, that it cost us your happiness."

Elizabeth waited for her mom to finish.

"I know it must suck to have us intrude in your head all the time because of Edward's ability." Bella started, ignoring the low protests of Edward. "Your mother, Jacob and I went through it all a long time ago. Teenage angst, Emmett calls it. Things which do not seem like a big deal to us are huge problems for you. And if we keep putting out all your fires, then we're doing the same mistake of placing your safety above your happiness. Edward doesn't like the idea. But your mother and I agree it is for the best."

Elizabeth plopped back on her grandmother's lap.

"Let me know when the circle ends and we get to the point." She said, yawning.

Bella smiled.

"I'm going to shield you." Bella announced, as she felt her defensive sphere envelope Elizabeth.

"What!" Elizabeth shot up surprised.

"Done." Bella said, still smiling, genuinely happy because of the expression on her grand-daughters face.

"Done?" Elizabeth repeated.

_I WANT TO HAVE CRAZY WILD SEX AND I'M GOING TO DO IT THIS WEEK! _Elizabeth shouted in her mind.

The only response was the sounds of branches slowly scratching her window. Elizabeth flew onto her grandmother and hugged her tightly. Bella carefully adjusted herself to protect Elizabeth.

"Thank you!" Elizabeth said, burying her head in her grandmothers flowy chestnut hair.

Renesmee was grinning too.

"Now, Bethy." Renesmee started. "This is a privilege. Not a right. We expect you to behave responsibly."

Elizabeth let go of her grandmother and hugged her mother.

"I love you." Elizabeth said, before running out of the room.

She ran down the stairs towards her family sitting on the couch. Edward was icily looking out the window. He smiled as Elizabeth approached him. Elizabeth stopped short in front of him. She grinned toothily as him.

"Ha!" Elizabeth said, an air of triumph in her voice.

Edwards expression quickly changed.

"Bella!" He exclaimed. "We need to talk about this again!"

"Ha!" Elizabeth repeated, as Edward passed her as he walked towards Bella.

But Elizabeth didn't catch the wide smile on Edward's face.


	4. Privacy

Elizabeth spent breakfast slyly grinning to herself, quieter than usual. Edward kept clicking his tongue, sometimes frowning at Renesmee and Bella.

"And are you sure you don't want me to pack you a lunch?" Esme asked, hoping for a positive response.

"I told you, Gigi." Elizabeth said, as she walked around the table to wrap her arms lovingly around Esme. "Everybody in High School eats at the cafeteria. And I think the lunch lady will get mad if I bring in restaurant quality food everyday. How were you able to fit a seven course meal in a paper bag anyway?"

"I dont know how you can eat that cafeteria food." Jacob muttered, spraying food all over Emmett. "I have been sneaking back here everyday to have a decent meal."

"Man!" Emmett said, rising from the table dusting the food off himself. "Bethy, let's just go."

Elizabeth collected her things, when suddenly everybody around her froze and stared at the front door. Elizabeth barely frowned, when she was scooped up by Emmett and they jumped out the open window, running out back. Panic started setting in.

"LET ME DOWN, TIO" Elizabeth screamed. "Are they back? We cant leave the others!"

Emmett softly cursed.

"Not the Volturi..." He mumbled, before setting Elizabeth down.

"What are you doing here?" Elizabeth heard a familiar voice call out to her. "And was Emmett carrying you?

Elizabeth almost broke her neck turning around. The rest of the family slowly filed out. Bethany stood, arms crossed, her foot tapping. Behind her, her gorgeous friends were whispering to each other. Now Elizabeth was really panicking. She desperately looked at her family.

The family seemed to be studying their shoes.

_Help me!_ Elizabeth screamed in her mind. The conversation from the previous night replayed in her mind.

_Damn it! _Elizabeth thought, as the seconds piled on.

"Hello?" Bethany said, waving her hand in front of Elizabeth's eyes.

_So this is what a panic attack feels like. _Elizabeth thought, her head bowing.

She only caught a few strands of blond hair whiz past her, before a resounding slap across the cheek.

She turned to find Rosalie fuming, Emmett's head turned from the slap.

"Answer, Bethany." Rosalie screamed dramatically. "Who is this girl? What were you doing? Were you actually carrying her?"

"Tia..." Elizabeth muttered confused.

"I wasn't carrying her." Emmett retorted, his voice sincere and eyes smoldering. "I don't believe what is going on. Are you doubting me?"

"Then what is she talking about?" Rosalie screamed, her face contorted in anger. "Why are you sneaking around with this girl?"

"Because our anniversary is coming up, OK?" Emmett said, his voice getting angry too. "Her Aunts are great party planners. And I wanted to ask her to hook me up with them."

"I saw you carrying her." One of Bethany's friend chipped in.

"You saw me helping her up, you dense fruit cake." Emmett retorted.

"I was the one who gave the introduction, Rose." Alice chimed in, elegantly walking towards Emmett. "This is Elizabeth Masen. From what I understand, her Jia has a great sense of style and throws amazing parties."

Elizabeth slowly looked up and smiled.

"Jia?" Emmett said, looking at Alice. "I thought you said Tia. You have an Italian Aunt?"

"Both." Elizabeth said softly. "One Italian, one Spanish."

"What brings you to these neck of the woods so early?" Edward asked in a stony voice, changing the topic.

"You're not kidding when you say woods!" Bethany said, turning on her dazzling personality again. "It took us forever to find your place. I just thought I would take you up on your offer to ride to school."

"My offer?" Edward said puzzled. "I see what you mean. Let's go then."

Elizabeth joined her grandma.

"What offer?" Elizabeth asked under her breath.

"Yesterday, we were discussing where we stay." Bella said, her lips almost not moving. "And she said she lives across town. Edward replied saying it was too bad, otherwise they could all ride together."

Elizabeth chuckled but faltered under Edward's gaze. Bethany and her friends split up into four and started chatting up the men. The women looked at their husbands, amused.

"Jealous?" Elizabeth asked, suppressing her urge to laugh.

Bella rolled her eyes, as Alice giggled.

"Well..." Bethany said, looking at Elizabeth who was about to get into Edward's car. "You better get going then. Where did you park?"

"Ummm..." Elizabeth replied. "Out back?"

"Cool." Bethany said, getting into the passenger seat. "See you around!"

Edward looked pleadingly at Bella, who half smiled.

"I think I will catch a ride with Elizabeth." Bella said, taking Elizabeth's hand.

In the quickest human steps Edward could take, he closed the distance between Bella and him and kissed her passionately. Bethany observed in the side mirror, her eye narrow in jealousy.

"Geez..." Elizabeth muttered, so that only Bella and Edward could hear her. "I think there are laws against grandparents making out in front of their grandchildren. Affects the kids ability to hold in breakfast."

Edward and Bella smiled as they parted. Four cars departed the Cullen household.

In a flash, Carlisle was next to them.

"Looks like it's up to old Pop-pop here to get my girls to school." He said, offering his hand. Elizabeth giggled as she took it.

They got into Carlisle's minivan. Esme waved them off.

Elizabeth liked travelling with Carlisle. He was careful on the road and abided by human traffic rules. Elizabeth always thought that it was because Carlisle had been alive, so to speak, as a human longer than the others. He was more mature and human like when compared to the others. She considered waiting till she was his age before changing.

"Why did you let Bethany go with grandpa alone?" Elizabeth wondered aloud, getting a little more comfortable on the seat.

"It was the best way to diffuse the situation." Bella answered. "She likes Edward. His attention will ensure she doesn't talk about seeing you this morning at school. Less people will be drawn to your association with us."

Elizabeth winced at that.

"It's not like I'm ashamed of being a part of this family." Elizabeth said, a few moments later, carefully weighing her words. "It's just that... You guys have this presence. Well, of course you do... Biological advantage and all. Ummmm... I don't know how to say this without sounding selfish. You guys know that I love you to bits and that I would give anything and everything up in a heartbeat for you guys. But your minds work differently than mine. I guess you can call it instinct. But everybody is so much better at everything than me. I just thought that if people didn't know we are related, then I will be able to become friends with someone less... instincty? What I'm tryig to say is..."

Bella pulled Elizabeth into a one armed hug.

"If you hadn't suggested it, we would've imposed it." Bella said, gently stroking Elizabeth's hair. "I'm the only other person who knows how hard it was to keep up... how difficult it was to stand aside... You don't have to worry about it. We will protect this secret for as long as possible."

"Man!" Elizabeth said, pulling herself away from Bella. "I'm such a chatty Kathy now. Few minutes ago, I was contemplating whether being on the run from the Volturi was better.

Bella looked at her scandalized.

"Kidding!" Elizabeth said, smiling, nuzzling deeper into her grandmother's hard shoulders.

"Looks like the Sheriff's car broke down." Carlisle muttered, slowing down.

"Can I help you, Sheriff?" Carlisle offered politely.

A lanky wrinkly man in butterscotch sunglasses and dull grey uniform turned to face them. The light rain was dripping trickling down the lenses of the sunglasses. From the back seat of the car, a girls head popped out, waving energetically at Elizabeth.

"Marcy?" Elizabeth wondered aloud, sticking her head out of the car too. Bella clicked her tongue muttering about damp hair and colds.

"Hey!" Elizabeth mirrored Marcy.

"Talking is all about opening your mouth, right?" Elizabeth said confidently, as she stepped out of the car.

Marcy and she met halfway.

"I didn't know you came to school under police protection!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

Marcy rolled her eyes.

"We're gonna be so late!" She lamented. "Dad's car broke down. We're waiting for Mom."

Marcy's father discreetly slipped near Marcy, holding an umbrella. Marcy frowned but didn't say anything.

"Hello." Sheriff Gray said, wiping the rain drops from his glasses. "You must be Elizabeth. Marcy has told us so much about you."

_She talked about me?_ Elizabeth mustered up all her will to stop herself from happy smiles.

"I spoke to Dr. Cullen." Sheriff Gray said, looking at Marcy. "Looks like he is offering Elizabeth here a ride too. Matt and you can go with him while I wait for your mother."

"Matt?" Elizabeth said, her memory working sluggishly.

From the sheriff's car, head bowed in a hoodie, disembarked the first person Elizabeth had met at Fosters. He smiled at Elizabeth in recognition. Elizabeth immediately shut down, embarrassed at the thought of her maniacal laughter. Bella quietly slid to the front seat as Marcy, Matt and Elizabeth made themselves comfortable in the back.

_Don't freak out. _Elizabeth thought. _You'll be in school in 20 min. And then you can go drown yourself in the pool. Why is he Marcy's brother? Why is Matt's sister Marcy? OK. I'm being redundant. Great! Now I'm sweating. Did I wear deodorant in the morning? Maybe I can smell my pits without anybody looking._

"Dr. Cullen." Matt said, looking at Elizabeth. "Maybe you can turn down the heat. Elizabeth is flooding the seat."

"I was home-schooled!" Elizabeth interjected cutting Matt's chuckle.

The car was dead silent for a few seconds. Growing up with vampires, Elizabeth was used to silence and statue like people. But this was the worst. If she wasn't sitting in the middle, she would have jumped out of the car already.

"I'm not crazy!" Elizabeth exclaimed again, just to cut the silence.

Marcy finally burst out laughing, the others joining in.

"I think..." Marcy said, catching her breath. "She is talking about the first day of school, when you guys met. Matt already told me about that. And it must have been weird when a random stranger offers you help with a "stalker". You see, my brother is popular. He doesn't understand what it's like to eat macaroni surprise, where the surprise was surely rubber, just because you don't want the other person to leave the table!"

Elizabeth's shoulders relaxed as she laughed.

_Talking is just opening your mouth. _She reminded herself.

Marcy was obviously at ease around Matt. And Elizabeth felt more confident around Bella and Carlisle. She could seem them studying the development of the back seat like a hawk.

"So, how do you guys know each other?" Matt asked, catching Bella's eyes in the rear view mirror.

"Elizabeth was helping Emmett out." Bella replied. "They went in a different car."

She then proceeded to look at the road, blocking anymore conversation.

They rolled into school, the others, especially Edward, waiting for them. As soon as Bella stepped out of the car, the Cullens and Jacob separated from Bethany and company and walked inside.

"Thanks, Pop...I mean, Mr... I mean Dr. Cullen." Elizabeth said, following Marcy's and Matt's lead of thanking Carlisle.

Matt walked over to a few of his friends and suddenly there was awkward silence again. But Elizabeth was going to have none of that again. This was her chance and she didn't want to waste it.

_Just open your mouth._ Elizabeth thought, as she complimented Marcy's chunky bracelets.

* * *

**Deleted the previous versions. Only minor changes in the first three chapters. This chapter is brand new. Hope you guys enjoy it!**


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